Buying an elliptical trainer is an investment. It’s actually a pretty big investment, not just financially, but more importantly, in your health and fitness. You want to make the right purchase decision as the stakes are high. I’ve heard of too many people who buy the wrong elliptical trainer and then end up permanently drifting off track and discouraged from their carefully planned fitness goals. So take a few moments to read through these key points so you know what to look for in elliptical machines:
*Price — If you’ve read any of my other articles on evaluating ellipticals, you’ll know I’m not a fan of cheap ellipticals. The best advice I can give you is to stay away from ellipticals that retail for less than $500. It may seem like it goes against your grain, but the best value on home ellipticals is between $1,000 and $2,000. You can get some very high-quality home ellipticals on sale for around $1,300.
*Manufacturer reputation — Spend some time researching the top elliptical machine manufacturers. Some of the major names include: Precor, Life Fitness Smooth Fitness, Tunturi, New Balance, and all ICON Health and Fitness brands such as ProForm, Reebok, NordicTrack, and Weslo. Research the quality and repair statistics of your machines and also the responsiveness of your customer service departments. Sometimes bigger is not always better in this market!
*Endurance — There are two types of resistance: belt friction and magnetic friction. Belt friction is found on lower end models and should be avoided. It is noisy and unreliable. Magnetic resistance comes in three varieties: manual, motorized and eddy current brake.
They all use the concept of creating friction in a cast iron flywheel through a magnetic field. When the motorized version moves a pair of permanent magnets closer to or further from the flywheel using an electric motor, the eddy current brake increases and decreases the magnetic field with a series of coils comprising an electromagnet. The eddy current brake is found on the higher end models and is preferred as there are no moving parts to wear out like in motorized braking.
*stride length — Stride length is a critical specification on elliptical trainers. A few inches in this dimension will make the difference between your elliptical trainer feeling like a choppy stride or a smooth, gliding elliptical trainer. Don’t settle for anything under 17 inches. Some models, like the Smooth CE, have an adjustable stride length to accommodate people of different heights.
* Inclined ramp — some models have an adjustable incline ramp that can add a cross-training dimension to your elliptical workouts. The steeper the incline, the greater the strain on your calf, hamstring, and gluteal muscles. Models like the commercial-grade Precor EFX 546i and lower-end Reebok RL 645 from ICON Health and Fitness come with incline ramps. Decide for yourself if this is an essential feature.
*Console — Displays come in 2 basic types: LCD or LED matrix. Some even combine both. The keypad is typically a series of membrane switches to control resistance and select program options. Most elliptical consoles display essential data such as elapsed time, calories or energy burned, pace, distance, resistance level and/or incline, and heart rate, if supported.
The console may require separate batteries and/or be powered from the main power connection to the elliptical. The important thing is that the electronics behind the console are reliable. Unfortunately, there are too many stories about faulty electronics in some units causing the display to malfunction or fail altogether.
*Programs — Most elliptical trainers come with at least some built-in programs. Many others come with more than you can use. And it’s not just expensive models that have a lot of programs. Training programs can add variety and incentive to your workouts, and models with built-in heart rate monitoring can dynamically vary resistance to keep your heart rate in a training zone. Call me boring, but I usually go for the plain old “Manual” mode. Sometimes I add my own variety by changing my pace to do interval training. This all comes down to personal preference.
*Warranty — Like price, warranty should be a key indicator of elliptical trainer quality. If a manufacturer can only bring themselves to offer a 90-day warranty on parts and labor, then don’t bother with their products.
At a minimum, you should receive a 1-year warranty on parts and labor. Many manufacturers offer very long warranties on the frame, up to 15 years or even lifetime. However, the frame of well-made ellipticals should last a long time as long as the welds are good.
It is the drive mechanism and motorized components that take the hits and are expensive to replace. I generally don’t recommend buying extended warranties for anything, but I make an exception when it comes to elliptical trainers.
These items are some of the key points to consider when evaluating an elliptical trainer. There are several others that space does not allow me to cover here, but you should also take the time to educate yourself on them.
